The food system consists of food production, processing, distribution, access, consumption and food waste recovery. Food systems resilience is the ability of the food system to provide food to Calgarians in the face of changing conditions due to climate hazards and social issues. A resilient food system keeps us fed no matter what challenges come our way.

Building a resilient food system in Calgary matters because:

• Ongoing crises impact affordability and food supply, especially for equity denied Calgarians.
• Climate hazards and other global events put our food system at risk, and we currently do not have an emergency food response plan.
• Climate change increases risk to long term food production at a local level as well as the faraway places that Calgary relies on for food.
• Food insecurity has been an ongoing issue in Calgary for many individuals and families.

The City of Calgary is developing a Food Resilience Plan to support the creation of a resilient food system for Calgarians.

Vision: Calgary has a resilient food system, where food is reliably available, accessible, appropriate and environmentally sustainable.

The Food Resilience Plan assesses the current state of Calgary’s food system resilience and identifies the ways in which The City and its food system partners can support a more resilient food system, with a focus on supporting the City’s most food insecure communities.

Intended Outcomes of the Food Resilience Plan:

• Availability: Food supply is reliably available from a diverse mix of sources, through daily life and through emergencies.
• Accessibility: Food is physically and economically accessible to Calgarians.
• Appropriateness: Our food system meets the social, cultural, and dietary needs of Calgarians.
• Environmental Sustainability: Calgary’s food system is net-zero, climate resilient, and contributes to a healthy environment.

A key part of creating the Food Resilience Plan is identifying and engaging partners from across Calgary’s food system to provide feedback and input. We are currently seeking feedback that will support us to develop the plan’s objectives, and to provide context and insight.

The questions in the survey are intended to support us in better understanding the food resilience that is already being practiced in Calgary, so that we might start implementation with this resilience in mind. This page will be updated with our findings, and future opportunities to get involved.

We will be taking feedback from this engagement to help shape the Food Resilience Plan. The Food Resilience Plan is slated to be approved in September 2024. Once it is, we will begin to plan for implementation. We intend to continue community engagement throughout implementation. While there are no exact dates scheduled yet, we encourage you to sign up for our mailing list if you wish to receive updates on future engagement.

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